Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Matej Stransky had a dominant year for HC Vitkovice’s U18 team. In 46 games he scored 40 goals and added 23 assists. He also represented the Czech Republic at the U16 tournament, scoring 1 goal and adding 2 assists in 5 games.

2009-10: Stransky continued his dominant play at the U18 level, scoring 17 goals and adding 33 assists in 43 for HC Vitkovice. He was promoted to the U20 team, where he scored just twice, adding a single assist in 11 games.

2010-11: With the 61st pick in the CHL Import draft, the Saskatoon Blades (WHL) selected Matej Stransky. He saw 71 games, gathering 14 goals and 12 assists with 53 penalty minutes. He scored 9 points in 10 games before Saskatoon was eliminated from the playoffs. The Czech import will obviously battle consistency problems as a youngster. He was not aided by the acquisitions that the Blades made at the trade deadline that only served to push him down the depth chart.

2011-12: Stransky signed a three-year entry-level contract with Dallas in April 2012 after a breakout offensive season in his second year with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. After finishing with 26 points in his first WHL season, Stransky was the Blades’ leading scorer with 39 goals (14 on the power play) and 42 assists and was plus-six with 75 penalty minutes in 70 games. Saskatoon finished third in the East Division and was swept by Medicine Hat in a first round playoff series. Stransky scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was minus-one with 2 penalty minutes in the four playoff games.

2012-13: Stransky shared the scoring lead for Saskatoon with over-age winger Josh Nicholls (NYR) in his third WHL season. He scored 40 goals with 45 assists and was +32 with 8 penalty minutes. The Blades finished first in the East Division and, after being swept in a first round WHL playoff series, hosted the Memorial Cup. Stransky was -2 with 4 penalty minutes in the four-game series with Medicine Hat. He scored two goals in Saskatoon’s 5-2 win over Memorial Cup champion Halifax; his only points in the Blades’ four Memorial Cup games.

2013-14: Stransky skated for Dallas AHL affiliate Texas, the Calder Cup champions, in his first pro season. In 65 regular season games he scored 9 goals with 14 assists and was minus-13 with 53 penalty minutes. The Stars finished first in the West Division, taking an epic seven-game series with Toronto in the Western Conference finals before defeating St. John’s in five games in the Calder Cup finals. Stransky scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was +1 with 10 penalty minutes in 21 playoff games.

2014-15: Stransky was among the scoring leaders for the Stars at the annual Traverse City rookie tournament but struggled to produce points in a lower line role in his second season with the AHL’s Texas Stars. In 70 games he scored 7 goals with 12 assists and was +1 with 60 penalty minutes. The Stars finished second in the West Division before being swept by Rockford in a best-of-five first round playoff series. Stransky had no points nor penalties with an even plus/minus in two playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Stransky is steadily assimilating to the North American game. While he has the ideal size and strength for that type of play, his skating and anticipatory skills have not allowed him to produce offensively at the AHL level as he did in junior hockey. He uses his body well along the boards and shields defenders away when he has the puck, partly because he doesn’t have breakaway speed. Stransky has good offensive instincts, a quality wrist shot – though he spends a fair amount of time looking for that extra pass – and above average vision. To this point, however, his lack of mobility has prevented him from utilizing those skills at the pro level. His offensive attributes, while unrefined, are significant but he needs to improve his skating as a whole, hockey sense, defensive play, and consistency.

Future

Stransky is skating for Stars' AHL affiliate Texas in 2015-16. Now in the third year of his original entry-level contract he has been steady in a two-way role for Texas with career highs in goals and assists. At the same time he was a late-round selection by the previous regime in Dallas so the odds of him cracking the lineup with the parent club are not in his favor. Stransky projects to having some potential as a lower line, two-way forward at the NHL level in the right situation.

CALGARY, AB. – The Western Hockey League announced today that Saskatoon Blades’ forward Matej Stranskyis the WHL Player of the Week.Stransky collected nine points,scoring three goals and six assists to go with a +1 rating, in three games over the past week helping the Saskatoon Blades to a 2-1-0-0 record.

On Tuesday, March 13, the Blades hosted the Prince Albert Raiders; Stransky gathered one goal, four assists and was named the games 3rd Star in the Blades 11-5 win. The Blades then closed out their regular season with a home-and-home series with their WHL East Division rivals the Swift Current Broncos, starting Friday, March 23 in Swift Current. Stransky scored one goal, two assists and was named the games 3rd Star in the Blades 5-3 win over the Broncos. The next night, Saturday, March 24 in Saskatoon, Stransky picked up one goal in the Blades 7-3 loss to the Broncos.Read more»

Stransky, who was acquired by the Mooseheads from the Olympiques via a trade this week-end, recorded three goals and two helpers in two contests. Stransky enjoyed his best game of the week yesterday, collecting an assist on the game-tying goal and registering the game-winner a few moments later in the final stages of the third period during a 6-5 victory over the Sea Dogs at Harbour Station. He had a total of four points in the win.

On the defensive side, Gabriel Girard is the award winner. In two starts, the Cataractes netminder recorded two wins while posting a 1.92 goals-against-average and .951 save percentage. In the first-ever game played in the new rink in Shawinigan on Saturday, Girard made thirty save in a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Juniors. He was later named the game’s first star. The next day, he pushed away forty-eight shots and stumped two skaters in the shootout to help the Cataractes defeat the Voltigeurs in Drummondville 4-3.Read more»